NE SCIENCE & TECH BUREAU
SRIHARIKOTA, AUG 7
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday successfully launched the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle – Developmental Flight 1 (SSLV-D1) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
The 34-metre tall rocket weighs 120 tons. It is carrying AzaadiSAT which is built by girl students. The countdown for the rocket launch began at 2:26am (local time) on Sunday. According to ISRO, SSLV will place satellites EOS-02 and AzaadiSAT into low earth orbit.
Reports say AzaadiSAT is carrying 75 payloads marking 75 years of India’s independence.
ISRO said the AzaadiSAT weighs around 50 grams built by girl students from rural areas across the nation which has been integrated into ‘Space Kidz India’.
It is ISRO’s third satellite launch this year after the successful PSLV-C53 mission in June. In February, ISRO had placed earth observation satellite EOS-04 on board the PSLV-C52/EOS-04 mission.
According to ISRO, SSLV ensures low turn-around time and flexibility in accommodating multiple satellites.
